2013 BMW ActiveHybrid 740

2013 is a big model year for the 7 Series, with lots of changes to the model line. The most significant changes are improvements in horsepower and efficiency to the two main engines, the inline-6 and V8; and there's a new 8-speed automatic transmission. These things alone upgrade the character of the car.

The BMW 7 Series comes with two wheelbases, four engines, and rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. You can pay about $74,000 or nearly twice that, base price from the bottom to the top of the line. Although it seems weird to call an expensive high-performance luxury car the bottom of anything.

In addition to the inline-6 and V8 engines, there's a V12 and a hybrid powertrain, all of them turbocharged. The six-cylinder and the V8 come with rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Last year, the hybrid was mated to the V8, but this year it's the inline-6, a more compatible choice. The hybrid and V12 only come in long wheelbase versions.

The BMW 740i is our choice because its 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 is so sweet, and it delivers quick acceleration with 315 horsepower and 330 foot-pounds of torque from 1400 to 4500 rpm. The 2013 BMW 740i gains 15 horsepower over the 2012 version thanks to direct injection and Valvetronic, BMW's throttle-less intake system.

The 2013 BMW 750i gains 45 horsepower from its 4.4-liter turbocharged V8 over the 2012 model, now at 445 hp, thanks again to the addition of Valvetronic.

The V12 makes 535 horsepower and the BMW 750Li drives around in a sensational silky rocket world of its own; if you've got the money and if spectacular matters more to you than economy, buy it.

The 2013 BMW ActiveHybrid 7L uses a lithium-ion battery in the trunk powering a 55-hp electric motor, and it makes more horsepower than the base 740i. The 2013 ActiveHybrid 7L is rated 22/30 mpg, which is not great fuel economy.

All 2013 BMW 7 Series models get a new 8-speed automatic transmission to replace the previous 6-speed. That's great news, it fixes a weakness in the line. After a few hundred miles in a 750Li, we concluded the 8-speed transmission is quick, smooth and smart. It offers a manual-shifting feature.

As for the 7 Series ride, you're not going to find flaws there, either. You can tune it yourself, using the Dynamic Driving knob with four settings: Normal, Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus. They control the damper stiffness, throttle response, steering response, transmission response, and stability control.

There's also an Eco Pro mode, which we used for our casual driving, 80 percent of the time. We were never inconvenienced by the dialed-back power, and were astounded by the fuel mileage: 19.4 miles per gallon in this 445-horsepower V8 that weighs 4660 pounds, while driven over mountain roads around Lake Tahoe as well as around the town.

The only bad part about driving the 7 Series was the bewildering electronics and hysterical safety warnings. And it was pretty bad. We'd say …Full Review

2013 is a big model year for the 7 Series, with lots of changes to the model line. The most significant changes are improvements in horsepower and efficiency to the two main engines, the inline-6 and V8; and there's a new 8-speed automatic transmission. These things alone upgrade the character of the car.

The BMW 7 Series comes with two wheelbases, four engines, and rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. You can pay about $74,000 or nearly twice that, base price from the bottom to the top of the line. Although it seems weird to call an expensive high-performance luxury car the bottom of anything.

In addition to the inline-6 and V8 engines, there's a V12 and a hybrid powertrain, all of them turbocharged. The six-cylinder and the V8 come with rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Last year, the hybrid was mated to the V8, but this year it's the inline-6, a more compatible choice. The hybrid and V12 only come in long wheelbase versions.

The BMW 740i is our choice because its 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 is so sweet, and it delivers quick acceleration with 315 horsepower and 330 foot-pounds of torque from 1400 to 4500 rpm. The 2013 BMW 740i gains 15 horsepower over the 2012 version thanks to direct injection and Valvetronic, BMW's throttle-less intake system.

The 2013 BMW 750i gains 45 horsepower from its 4.4-liter turbocharged V8 over the 2012 model, now at 445 hp, thanks again to the addition of Valvetronic.

The V12 makes 535 horsepower and the BMW 750Li drives around in a sensational silky rocket world of its own; if you've got the money and if spectacular matters more to you than economy, buy it.

The 2013 BMW ActiveHybrid 7L uses a lithium-ion battery in the trunk powering a 55-hp electric motor, and it makes more horsepower than the base 740i. The 2013 ActiveHybrid 7L is rated 22/30 mpg, which is not great fuel economy.

All 2013 BMW 7 Series models get a new 8-speed automatic transmission to replace the previous 6-speed. That's great news, it fixes a weakness in the line. After a few hundred miles in a 750Li, we concluded the 8-speed transmission is quick, smooth and smart. It offers a manual-shifting feature.

As for the 7 Series ride, you're not going to find flaws there, either. You can tune it yourself, using the Dynamic Driving knob with four settings: Normal, Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus. They control the damper stiffness, throttle response, steering response, transmission response, and stability control.

There's also an Eco Pro mode, which we used for our casual driving, 80 percent of the time. We were never inconvenienced by the dialed-back power, and were astounded by the fuel mileage: 19.4 miles per gallon in this 445-horsepower V8 that weighs 4660 pounds, while driven over mountain roads around Lake Tahoe as well as around the town.

The only bad part about driving the 7 Series was the bewildering electronics and hysterical safety warnings. And it was pretty bad. We'd say …Hide Full Review

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